New Braunfels, Texas

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New Braunfels, Texas
Image:Braunfels.jpg
Seal
Motto: friendship
Coordinates: 29°42′6″N, 98°7′25″W
County Comal County
Founded 1845
Government
 - Mayor Bruce Boyer
Area
 - City 76.1 km²  (29.4 sq mi)
 - Land 75.7 km² (29.2 sq mi)
 - Water 0.4 km² (0.2 sq mi)
Population (2005)
 - City 47,168
 - Density 619.8/km² (1,604.4/sq mi)
Time zone Central (UTC-6)
Website: http://www.ci.new-braunfels.tx.us

New Braunfels (German for "brown rock", and named for Braunfels in Germany; in the nineteenth century often spelt Neu-Braunfels, even by anglophones.) is a city in Texas, United States. The population was 36,494 at the 2000 census; in 2005, it was estimated to be 47,168[1]. It is the county seat of Comal CountyGR6.

New Braunfels has a sizeable German Texan community. The town holds a German-style festival, Wurstfest [2] ("sausage festival"), every November to celebrate the city's German heritage. The newspaper ( Herald Zeitung)was even written in German until WWII, when parts of it were then written in English.

New Braunfels draws a fair amount of tourism from across the state, particularly because of the cold-spring rivers that run through the city. Many generations of families still return during the summer to tube down the Guadalupe River or Comal River. New Braunfels is the site of one of the most famous water parks in the United States, the Schlitterbahn WaterPark Resort. The Comal River is the shortest in the world, just 3.2 miles (5.2 km) long, before emptying into the Guadelupe River. It is devoted to recreation most of its length, being stocked with trout, and for tubing. The upper reaches of the Comal are lined with park areas.

The Gruene historical district is located within the city limits of New Braunfels. Founded by the sons of settlers Ernst and Antoinette Gruene, it had a bank, post office, school, General store, lumberyard, gristmill and cotton gin. It also had access to two railways for shipping the cotton bales, a real coup in those times. Its' most famous current attribute was the dance hall, a family activity in those days. Due to the failure of the cotton crop from Boll Weevils, and the failure of the banks after 1929, it became a ghost town. This village was purchased by developers in the mid-70's and was saved from demolition by Cheryle Fuller, who did all the research to list it on The National Register of Historic Places, wrote the protective covenants of the Deed Restrictions, and sucessfully defended them in court. It has remained largely intact with some small improvements, and has become a vacation destination with the white water Guadelupe river below it.

Contents

[edit] History

New Braunfels was established in 1845 by the German nobleman Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Commissioner General of the "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas", also known as the "Noblemen's Society" (in German: Mainzer Adelsverein). Prince Carl named the city for Braunfels, his hometown in Germany.

The Adelsverein organized hundreds of people in Germany to settle in Texas. Immigrants from Germany began arriving at the Texas coast in December 1844, planning to travel inland to land grants purchased by Prince Carl. At the urging of Carl Lindheimer, botanist and printer, in March, 1845, as the German settlers were traveling inland along the Guadalupe River, Prince Carl bought a parcel of land from the Veramendi land grant, northeast of San Antonio. This tract had strong freshwater springs. Settlers began arriving at the site of the future city on March 21, 1845. As Spring 1845 progressed, the settlers built a fort, divided land, and began building homes and planting crops. Soon after founding the city, Prince Carl returned to Germany, never to return, leaving John O. Meusebach to capably manage the settlement.

In December 1845, Texas became a state in the United States of America, possibly dashing any hopes the German aristocracy may have had of establishing a German principality within the politically and militarily weak Republic of Texas, and undermining the United States. At the time it was annexed to the US, Texas was larger in land mass than the contiguous United Staes, being divided into 5 states as a condition of annexation. Prince Solms of Braunfels was trained as a spy in Queen Victorias court, and was originally sent to the US to infiltrate the government, before being sent to aid the settlers.

A second wave of German immigrants began arriving in 1846, even as the sponsoring Adelsverein teetered on bankruptcy. As hundreds of German immigrants continued arriving at the Texas coast in 1846, three disasters hit the German immigrants. The Mexican-American War broke out between the United States and Mexico, and oxcart teamsters who were contracted to carry the Germans and their belongings inland were diverted to the war effort along the south Texas coast. Additionally, extraordinarily wet weather was making creeks and rivers overflow their banks so that passage inland was extremely difficult. Finally, cholera broke out among the immigrants, and several hundred people died in the outbreak.

Meusebach stabilized the community's finances, and encouraged the settlers to establish additional neighboring communities. The largest of these secondary settlements was to be Fredericksburg, Texas, 80 miles to the northwest of New Braunfels.

New Braunfels thrived, and by 1850, it was the fourth largest city in Texas, with 1,723 people, following only Galveston, San Antonio, and Houston in population. In 1852, the Zeitung newspaper was established, edited by German-Texan botanist Ferdinand Lindheimer. The newspaper continues to publish under its current name, the Herald-Zeitung.

[edit] Geography

New Braunfels is located at 29°42′6″N, 98°7′25″W (29.701724, -98.123559)GR1. This is 30 miles (48 km) northeast of San Antonio and 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Austin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 76.1 km² (29.4 mi²). 75.8 km² (29.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.51%) is water.

The city is situated along the Balcones Fault, where the Texas Hill Country meets rolling prairie land. Along the fault in the city, a string of artesian springs known as Comal Springs give rise to the Comal River, which is known as the shortest river in the world, as it winds three miles through the city before meeting the Guadalupe River.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 36,494 people, 13,558 households, and 9,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 481.7/km² (1,247.7/mi²). There were 14,896 housing units at an average density of 196.6/km² (509.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.30% White, 1.37% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 10.93% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.52% of the population.

There were 13,558 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,078, and the median income for a family was $46,726. Males had a median income of $31,140 versus $23,235 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,548. About 9.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

New Braunfels is served by the New Braunfels Independent School District and the Comal Independent School District. New Braunfels Christian Academy (the Academy at New Braunfels, or New Braunfels Academy) is a large independent private school that serves the area as the county's largest private educational institution. Various private schools also serve the city and nearby area.

[edit] References

  • The German Texans, Glen E. Lich, 1996, The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, 232 pages.
  • The History of the German Settlements in Texas, Rudolph Leopold Biesele, German-Texan Heritage Society, 1987 (original edition 1930), hardback, 261 pages.
  • History of New Braunfels and Comal County, Texas, Oscar Haas, 1968, hardback, 338 pages.

[edit] External links

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